In Russia, the State Duma has ratified the protocol on amending the treaty between Russia and Belarus on equal rights of citizens of 25 December 1998. The document was submitted to the lower house of parliament by Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
According to the amendments, the citizens of Belarus, permanently residing in Russia, will have the right to elect and be elected to the Russian local self-government bodies. The same opportunity will be given to the citizens of Russia, who permanently live in Belarus.
Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Volodin said earlier that such a step “will allow citizens of the two states to more actively participate in solving local issues that concern them as residents of specific areas.
Putin and Alexander Lukashenko signed a decree “On the main directions for the implementation of the provisions of the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State for 2021-2023” in November 2021. It was reported to be a package of documents including 28 sectoral programmes, as well as an updated military doctrine and the concept of migration policy. They referred, in particular, to the integration of currency systems, the principles of indirect tax collection and the formation of monetary policy, as well as the creation of a common payment space.